Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) Shares Purchased by Ethos Financial Group LLC

Ethos Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) by 66.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,662 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the period. Ethos Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,285,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LLY. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 100,387.1% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,202,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,016,110,000 after purchasing an additional 5,197,038 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $1,240,653,000. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 37,140.7% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 694,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $614,990,000 after purchasing an additional 692,303 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 126,531.5% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 678,745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $523,991,000 after purchasing an additional 678,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 599.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 430,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $381,710,000 after purchasing an additional 369,293 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $930.12 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $822.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $848.61. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $711.40 and a 52-week high of $972.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $881.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.42.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.45 by ($0.13). Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Monday, December 9th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Eli Lilly and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LLY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,000.00 target price for the company. Leerink Partners set a $950.00 target price on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,029.00 to $1,038.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup lowered their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,250.00 to $1,190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $997.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,007.50.

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity.